As we study scripture, we must keep in mind YHWH is eternal and His nature and character don’t change. He is perfect; perfection cannot be added to. He is perfect; nothing need be subtracted from perfection.
Understanding the nature and character of YHWH is the primary means of testing things, whether we are examining doctrines, theologies, or our own interpretation of scripture. When we want to test anything, we should begin with the question, “Is this consistent with the nature and character of YHWH?” If the answer is no, then the thing being considered fails. If any idea or doctrine is contrary to the nature and character of YHWH, we ought not to accept or believe it. At a minimum, we should raise a major red flag and scrutinize the doctrine extremely closely. Ultimately, if we can’t reconcile a doctrine with the nature and character of YHWH then we should reject the doctrine.
Where in the Bible are we Told About YHWH’s Nature and Character?
Question: Where in the Bible can we read about God’s nature and character?
Answer: Everywhere.
I wish I could give you a couple verses that would sum up God in a simple little package. I wish there was a book or a chapter that contained God’s complete personality profile in an easy-to-read format. The truth is, the entire Bible is YHWH’s personality profile. From beginning to end, we get glimpses into YHWH’s nature and character as we read. The most complete understanding of YHWH we can get from the Bible is to study the entire Bible; then, we still won’t fully know Him but will have enough understanding to believe and follow Him.
The Thirteen Attributes of YHWH’s Mercy
I cannot tell you, “Go read the Bible and figure it out.” So, let’s consider one portion of scripture that does bullet-point a few attributes of God. This can be a starting point for identifying some of YHWH’s attributes that can be used as a standard for testing the interpretation of scripture.
YHWH descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of YHWH. YHWH passed before him and proclaimed, “YHWH, YHWH, God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5-7)
This portion of scripture is commonly known as the Thirteen Attributes of YHWH’s Mercy. This portion of scripture occurred when Moses met with YHWH to receive a new set of ten-commandment tablets (remember, Moses broke the first set during the gold-calf incident). During the encounter, YHWH proclaimed His name and some of His eternal attributes. These are YHWH’s attributes that He directly revealed to us; they can be used to understand God, who He is, what He is, and how He responds in His dealings with us. We can also use this understanding of God to interpret His will and His scriptures.
YHWH, YHWH, God
יהוה (YHWH) — The divine name of God, encompassing the meaning of “He is” or “He will be”
יהוה (YHWH) — The divine name of God, encompassing the meaning of “He is” or “He will be”
אֵל (El) — God
The first attributes are a proclamation of God’s divine name and being. The name of God roughly translates to mean “He is” or “He will be”. The name identifies Him as self-existent, eternal, God who always was, always is, and always will be.
The first attributes of God is He is eternal, He is self-existent, and He is self-sustaining. YHWH has no creator, no origin, and no demise. He requires nothing to keep Him alive, because He is life and He possesses limitless power to both live and impart life to others. He is who He is. He is what He is. He is what He will always be. YHWH is uniquely self-existent God.
Merciful
רַחוּם (Rachum) — To be full of compassion, merciful, or loving.
Rachum comes from a Hebrew word meaning “womb” and is often understood to indicate the type of deep love a mother has for her child. YHWH’s attribute of compassion is that He is like a parent to us; He loves us with the same pure love a parent has for a child. YHWH’s love for us is selfless, self-sacrificing, and doesn’t expect to get something from us in return.
Gracious
חַנּוּן (Channun) — Gracious, as one responding to a cry for help
YHWH’s attribute of graciousness is that He will hear when we cry to Him for help, and He will respond favorably when we call on His name. It is YHWH’s nature and character to hear His children when they cry out to Him, and He will respond to his children’s cries for help. YHWH is generous in responding to our distress and giving us what we need.
Slow to Anger
אֶ֫רֶך (Arek) — Long, lengthen, draw out, prolong, patient, or slow
אַף ( Aph) — Literally: nose or nostril. Figuratively: to breathe hard or fast as one who is angry
YHWH’s character of being slow to anger is that He is exceedingly patient, delaying His anger, and lengthening the time it takes before He acts in judgement. This idea of giving mankind forbearance is seen throughout the scriptures. For example: It was approximately 1,600 years before YHWH acted in judgment of mankind and wiped out the people in the flood (see Genesis 5 and 7 for genealogical timeframes).
YHWH gives ample opportunity for people to acknowledge wrongdoing, repent, and receive His forgiveness before He acts in judgement. God’s slowness to punish evil is often misinterpreted as complacency, inaction, indifference, or non-existence. Actually, YHWH’s long delay in judgment is an act of His compassion and mercy; it provides us with more than enough fair chances to change and receive His forgiveness.
Abounding in Steadfast Love
רָב (Rab) — Much, many, or great
חָ֫סֶד (Checed) — Kindness, goodness, benevolence, to show favor
YHWH has an abundance of goodness, kindness, and favor towards His children. He never ceases to love His children, to provide for them, and to show them favor.
And Faithfulness
אֱמֶת (Emeth) — Truth, faithfulness, or stability.
YHWH possesses abundant faithfulness. God is a firm and reliable support, building us up and maintaining us. The abundant faithfulness of YHWH is His character of maintaining loyalty and fidelity, keeping to His covenant promises, and continuing to remain by our side. YHWH’s faithfulness continues, even when we sin and don’t deserve His continued loyalty towards us.
Keeping Steadfast Love for Thousands
נָצַר (Natsar) — To watch, guard, or keep. To protect or maintain.
חָ֫סֶד (Checed) — Kindness, goodness, benevolence, to show favor
אָ֫לֶפ (Eleph) — Thousand
Not only does YHWH possess abundant love, but He guards and maintains it. YHWH guards and protects the love, goodness, and benevolence He has poured out on us, and He does it for a thousand generations to those who love Him. The thousand is, of course, not a hardline number but a metaphor indicating His love continues over time, well beyond our days or our finite capacity.
Forgiving Iniquity
נָשָׂא (Nasah) — To lift, take, bear, or carry away
עָווֹן (Avon) — Sin, iniquity, guilt, or fault
When we sin by choice, doing what we know to be wrong, YHWH’s character is to offer us forgiveness. He wants to forgive us, it is His divine attribute.
And Transgression
פֶּ֫שַׁע (Pesha) — Rebellion or revolt
Even when we are in abject rebellion towards YHWH, it is still His nature and character to forgive us. He offers forgiveness and redemption even if we have actively opposed Him.
And Sin
חַטָּאָה (Chatta’ah) – Sin, offense, caused in error
When we sin by error, YHWH’s nature is to forgive our mistakes.
But Who Will By No Means Clear the Guilty…
נָקָה (Naquah) — Cleanse, acquit, leave unpunished
לֹא (Lo) — No or not
נָקָה (Naquah) — Cleanse, acquit, leave unpunished
The Hebrew phrase used in this portion of the passage is idiomatic and difficult to directly translate to English. A literal translation might read “He cleanses but does not cleanse”. The meaning is that YHWH removes our guilt of sin but does not leave us completely unpunished. There is always a penalty or consequence to sin, because God is just. If forgiveness were completely arbitrary and carried no discipline, no penalty, then His law would have no teeth to it. For God to be just, and for God’s law to have real power, there must be some kind of reckoning for our evil. We have God’s promise of forgiveness, but we were not promised to get completely off the hook and suffer no consequences for what we’ve done. This is a dual nature of YHWH’s character: He is loving and merciful but also just. He wants to forgive us, but He cannot completely turn a blind eye to evil and withhold all discipline. YHWH is neither extreme punishment nor extreme grace, though He has been misrepresented as both.
The second half of this attribute (revisiting iniquity to three or four generations) is difficult for many to interpret. Many people get caught up in a doctrine of “generational curses” when they read verses such as this. It sounds like YHWH is saying He will punish people for sins committed by their grandfathers or great grandfathers. If God punished people for things that happened decades before they were born, that would be completely unjust and unkind. Generational curses would go against His nature and character, and He clearly refuted this interpretation of His word by sending the prophet Ezekiel to clearly tell us it’s not so (see Ezekiel chapter 18).
Sin being revisited to the third or fourth generation stems from the fact YHWH does not completely remove all punishment. YHWH does not take away all the negative effects of sin, so the effects of sin can continue to be felt by succeeding generations. This happened with the Israelites in the desert; they rebelled against YHWH, and their children experienced the outcome of forty years of wandering in the desert. Later, Israel sinned and went into the Babylonian exile, and children of that generation experienced the effects of living in Babylon even though they weren’t the ones being punished with exile. YHWH doesn’t intentionally punish and curse the children, but because He doesn’t completely remove all punishment and adverse effects of sin, the children can suffer from the bad choices and behavior of the preceding generation.
Using YHWH’s Attributes as a Litmus Test
When we want to interpret a Bible text or doctrine, we should compare the interpretation with YHWH’s nature and character. An interpretation of scripture that pictures God as cruel or harsh deviates from His character; such an interpretation is false. An interpretation of scripture that portrays God as indifferent towards sin and never punishing rebellion also deviates from His core attributes and is false. However anyone interprets scripture, whatever anyone says about God, if it doesn’t align with His nature and character then it is likely a misunderstanding of the text.